I figured the RW thread was thought provoking enough that it didn't need any more digression.

So, having finished the Insomnia remake, I moved on to the Norwegian original, which I likely wouldn't have gotten around to if Six hadn't encouraged me. Having watched them in pretty quick succession, my noggin is full of comparisons, and I have to get them out, even if no one wants to read them. I still think the remake is quite good, and I am glad I saw them in the order I did or I think the slickness and deliberate adding of complexity would've frustrated me had I seen the original first. Both are very good and I recommend them.

For me the main difference is Al Pacino's alternate Stellan Skarsgard is a more flawed character than his remake counterpart. Ironic, it seems these days deeply flawed main characters are all the rage in America TV and film.

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Pacino's version has more reasons to cover up his killing than Skarsgard's. Skarsgard is more selfish, killing a dog in the process of covering up his killing. Also, even though he got in trouble for sleeping with a witness in earlier times, he comes on strong to a witness and almost sleeps with the hotel lobby girl in this investigation. Good stuff. It is also Skarsgard that thinks up and carries out the framing the innocent boyfriend; the outing of the real killer, the writer, is merely accidental. And the only part I didn't like about the remake on first viewing, Pacino dying, never happened. Kudos.

I found the Alaska small town setting bleaker and more evocative than the northern Norwegian setting. The trouble with sleeping because of being north of the Arctic Circle and the sun being in the sky all day, was more played up in the remake, I suppose because this is a Norwegian movie and in such a small country, more people are aware of this phenomenon.

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But on a deeper note, this made the insomnia seem more a manifestation of his guilt and the sun an ever present symbol of his guilt. Again, Kudos.

It's funny, I had just finished reading about mutual intelligibility between related languages before I watched this movie and this issue came up in the movie. Skarsgard (and his character) are both Swedish and he speaks Swedish in the movie, though the setting is in Norway. In the film, this is brought up several times by characters. The article I had read said that Norwegians have the least trouble understanding the other Scandinavian languages, and there it was in front of me, amazing timing that I had just been reading about this. I do think this element was largely added because the producers wanted a leading actor that was well-known for the movie and since Skarsgard was Swedish it was necessary. It was still interesting though.

Someone referenced me in a post!!?? I've never been so OUTRAGED!!! I will therefore remove myself from the forum with a minimum of drama while at the same time blaming the the amount of drama people have here! It's INTOLERABLE!

Drama yet no drama yet DRAMA (!!!!)

But wait, isn't that just more DRAMA(!)? Too bad! Because apparently whatever I think magically get's posted regardless of consequence, because that's the way I am! If I think it, it gets posted! Don't like it? Suck it, forum!

DRAMA!

Over and OUT!*

*(Was I not dramatic enough? Because really, I could be more dramatic, even though I hate it)

Ah, you guys got me giggling. I'd rather the poster being lampooned above was here than not, as I find everyone here entertaining in their own way, but what can you do? Thin-skinnedness about others thin-skinnedness is still thin-skinned.

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